ST. LOUIS --The Baltimore Ravens forced the St. Louis Rams to abandon their usually potent no-huddle offense.

Harassing quarterback Sam Bradford into a frustrating day, the Ravens sacked him five times with one forced fumble returned for a touchdown during a 37-7 victory Sunday at Edward Jones Dome.

By halftime, Bradford had already been intercepted once as he completed only 4 of his first 15 passes for 17 yards. Sacked twice, he had just three net passing yards in the first half.

Before kickoff, defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano had predicted this might happen.

"Coach Pagano said depending on how we handle the no-huddle will depend on how much we would see it," said Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who sacked Bradford once. "We didn't want to see that [crap]. We nipped that [crap] in the bud the first few times they ran it. It was a big issue around the NFL. They knew we were going to plan for that."

Bradford shredded the New York Giants' secondary, but had no answers for the Ravens.

"I took probably more hits than I have in a while," Bradford said. "We just weren't very effective throwing the ball. I think it comes from a lot of things. I've got to do a better job of making reads, getting the ball out quicker. And then when we do have one-on-one matchups, we have to win."

The Ravens didn't even have to resort to faking injuries, as the Giants did. Suggs joked last week that he would mimic their acting job.

"Nah, we weren't going to grab the hammy," Suggs said. "Ray Lewis wouldn't let us do that. We wanted to put that in their minds to think that we were going to do that. We did a good job preparing for it. We did a great job with it, so we didn't see too much of it."

A former top overall draft pick from Oklahoma and NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year, Bradford completed only 16 of 32 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown for a 62.8 passer rating.

"I think they saw we did a great job of stopping them," safety Bernard Pollard said. "I think they got away from it because they weren't as effective as they were against the Giants."

The Ravens struggled a week ago against Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's quick-strike approach.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh attributed the improvement to a sound game plan.

"Defensively, I credit Chuck Pagano," he said. "I think he put together a really good game plan to handle the no-huddle. He did a great job of giving the guys a sign system together that our guys were able to learn and execute it really well."

The Ravens' shutout bid was spoiled in the third quarter when cornerback Cary Williams mistimed his leap on a 34-yard touchdown from Bradford to wide receiver Brandon Gibson.

"I misjudged it, plain and simple," Williams said. "I jumped early. I mistimed it."

Overall, though, the Ravens handled the fast-break offense well.

"We knew what was coming," Williams said. "Chuck Pagano did a good job of getting the plays in early. I think we all did a good job. I just wish I wasn't the guy who gave up the touchdown."

NAKAMURA INJURES KNEE: The most serious injury was suffered by backup safety Haruki Nakamura, who left the game in the first quarter and didn't return with a damaged posterior cruciate ligament.

He'll undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam today.

"We'll have to see," Harbaugh said. "There's some hope there."

Inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe injured his hamstring and will be examined again today to determine the severity.

"Ellerbe had a hamstring grab on him," Harbaugh said. "We'll check to see if it's torn. I don't think it is, but we just have to check on it. All in all, we got through it pretty well."

Kicker Billy Cundiff narrowly escaped an injury when he got hit by wide receiver Danario Alexander in the calf on an extra point, an infraction that drew a roughing the kicker penalty late in the fourth quarter.

"That's nothing serious," Harbaugh said. "That was unfortunate, disappointing."

Added Cundiff: "I'll be OK. I should be all right. It's sore. We'll see if it's a big deal."

Cundiff said he was surprised that the Rams went after the block attempt trailing by so many points.

"It's frustrating to think they're still going after it," Cundiff said. "I know they were frustrated."

The Ravens were relieved that rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith only had a bit of tightness in his right hamstring after a three-touchdown performance.

"It was just a cramp," Smith said. "I'm fine."

NGATA SCORES: Signed to a $61 million contract last week that included a $25 million signing bonus, All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata gave the Ravens an immediate return on their investment.

Ngata scored a touchdown on 28-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter on a Bradford fumble forced by middle linebacker Ray Lewis. He adeptly bent over to scoop up the loose football on the bounce and rumbled into the end zone.

"We called a pressure on that play and Ray Lewis was able to get the ball out of Sam's hand," Ngata said. "I got a lucky bounce and got a head start running and was able to get into the end zone."

For Ngata, it was just a routine day at the office even after his financial windfall.

"Definitely, I'm always trying to get better every week," he said. "Hopefully, I can get even better next week and make more plays."

TWO MISSES: Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff was frustrated after misfiring twice from 51 yards, which is usually within his range.

After missing the consecutive kicks in the first half, Cundiff connected for field goals from 21, 31 and 38 yards.

"I was disappointed," Cundiff said. "It's within my range. The first one was off a bit on my aiming point. I struck the ball very well. I'll look at the film. I look at it as a chance moving forward to make sure I don't make the same mistakes.

"I'm really disappointed about the second kick. It's something I take pride in, not missing back-to-back kicks. I felt like I had a chance to make that 51-yarder."

CARR RETURNS: Cornerback Chris Carr returned from a left hamstring injury that sidelined him against the Titans after he aggravated the leg in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He played in the nickel package and didn't suffer a setback.

"I felt pretty good," Carr said. "I didn't feel 100 percent but I felt pretty well. I felt like I can play and still be effective. It was a good game back for me."

GURODE MAKES DEBUT: The Ravens started Andre Gurode at left offensive guard for the first time with starter Ben Grubbs sidelined for the second week in a row with a right toe injury.

The five-time Pro Bowl center seemed to hold up well, and Joe Flacco was only sacked twice.

Gurode replaced Mark LeVoir in the starting lineup one week after LeVoir started against the Tennessee Titans.

"He had never really played left guard to my knowledge," Harbaugh said. "He played right guard early in his career. He was working the angles during the week. The pass protection really looked good. That's a credit really to the communication between [six-time Pro Bowl center] Matt [Birk] and the line."

FIRST SACK: Rookie defensive end Pernell McPhee recorded the first sack of his NFL career, sacking Bradford for a four-yard loss.

"It feels real good," said the fifth-round draft pick from Mississippi State. "I feel wonderful."

McPhee said that veteran defensive end Cory Redding cleared a path for him on a loop.

"It was just a regular rush," McPhee said. "Cory came first and I wrapped around. The hole opened up for me and I came scot free."

NO RELIEF FOR FLACCO: Harbaugh drew some criticism by the Rams' radio broadcasters for leaving Flacco in the game late in the fourth quarter and having him attempt some throws rather than inserting rookie backup Tyrod Taylor.

He threw incomplete to rookie wide receiver Tandon Doss, who drew a 36-yard pass interference penalty.

Then, Harbaugh had Flacco kneel down twice to end the game.

"My thinking there was to try to get the first down," Harbaugh said. "Could you put Tyrod in there? I guess you could. If you look around the league, I don't think that happens much. I think it's something we might do in the future. I do see the point. I think putting Tyrod in there is arguable."

OHER ISSUES: Offensive tackle Michael Oher had no false starts after committing a pair against the Titans.

However, he was flagged once for holding and another time for illegal use of the hands.

He was also beaten for a sack by Rams defensive end Chris Long.

LINEUP LOOP: Besides holding out Grubbs, LeVoir and wide receiver Lee Evans (left ankle injury), the Ravens also deactivated cornerback Domonique Foxworth for the first time.

Foxworth tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee a year ago and had been playing "very, very conservatively," according to Harbaugh.

The Ravens also scratched wide receiver and kick returner David Reed (left shoulder), cornerback Jimmy Smith (left high ankle sprain) and outside linebacker Sergio Kindle.

One year removed from missing his entire rookie season with a fractured skull, Kindle has been inactive for all three regular-season games.

PAYBACK: Defensive end Arthur Jones retaliated against Rams offensive tackle Jason Smith when Smith took a cheap shot on middle linebacker Ray Lewis, knocking him down to the ground.

Smith was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third quarter for hitting Lewis late.

QUICK HITS: The Rams deactivated wide receiver Danny Amendola (dislocated elbow), safety Jermale Hines, running back Quinn Porter, linebacker Jabara Williams, tight end Stephen Spach, wide receiver Greg Salas and defensive end C.J. Ah You. ... For Doss, this marked the first NFL regular-season game that he had been active for. He was targeted just once. "It felt really good to get in the game and get my feet wet," Doss said. "I hope to do even more next week." ... Fellow rookie wide receiver LaQuan Williams caught one pass for seven yards and was targeted three times. He was flagged once for offensive pass interference. "I guess I pushed off," said Williams, an undrafted rookie from the University of Maryland. "I extended my arms a little further than I should have." He also had a 37-yard kickoff return. "That's what I was planning to do," Williams said. "I was comfortable." ... A moment of silence was observed for the late Ravens offensive tackle Orlando "Zeus" Brown, who was found dead of unknown causes Friday. Before kickoff, Harbaugh talked with the team about the intensity Brown played the game with. "I think anybody that's seen him play, played with him or played around him knows exactly how he played the game," wide receiver Anquan Boldin said. "He never took anything from anybody. He was a force out on the field and he imposed his will on people. That's what we wanted to do today."